Bioterrorism

The Cape May County County government is constantly striving to be as well prepared as possible should the unthinkable occur. This series of pages includes an outline of Cape May County's efforts of preparedness. You will find descriptions of various "threats" as well as actions, you the resident, can take to prepare for a terrorist event. This planning process is a collaborative effort of County Administration, the Office of Emergency Preparedness and the Division of Public Health.

TerrorismGeneral
Terrorism has been defined by the Federal Bureau of Investigation as: "The unlawful use of force or violence against persons or property to intimidate or coerce a government, the civilian population or any segment of it, in furtherance of political or social objectives." The devastation that occurred at the World Trade Center in New York and the Alfred Murray building in Oklahoma City points to the need to plan for potential threats within our own communities.

Comprehending terrorism is difficult: Why would someone want to create such panic and pain?

Terrorists want publicity for their causes. They want to create chaos and undermine the public's confidence in their government. They use random violence because they lack the money, force and weapons of the stronger powers they are attacking.

History
Each year Cape May County Sheriffs office and police departments receives numerous of bomb threats and calls about suspicious packages in the county.

Vulnerability
These events, as well as events in other parts of the country and world, give a glimpse as to what could potentially happen here. Non-local events include:

Lima, Peru, hostage situation

Alfred Murray Federal Building bombing in Oklahoma City

Olympic Park bombing in Atlanta

World Trade Center bombing in New York

The greatest number of injuries and casualties would result from the use of a weapon of mass destruction. These include biological and chemical weapons that can affect people living throughout a larger geographic area. The widespread nature of such weapons makes response difficult.

Cape May County is vulnerable due to its geography and seasonal population changes. This area is easily accessible, and perhaps more importantly, it allows easy exit after a terrorist attack. Cape May County’s proximity to waterways and interstate highways increase its vulnerability.

Vulnerable Sites
Potential vulnerable sites in Cape May County include:

Communications terminals

Corporate headquarters of high profile businesses

Dams

Financial centers

Government institutions

Power distribution systems

Water supply sources

Cape May County's proximity to Atlantic City's high-profile casinos also increases the county's vulnerability. Random acts of violence such as the detonation of an explosive device in a public area are also within the scope of terrorism.

Potential occurrences could be the result of actions from domestic or international groups. The terrorist actions could be expected to come about as a result of grievances, real or alleged, toward activities of some government entity, or as retaliation for some governmental act.

Terrorist "groups" at play today include:
International and domestic political or religious groups

Drug cartels

Gangs

Militias

Organized crime

People acting according to their individual beliefs

New groups are constantly emerging. Traditionally, small arms and improvised explosive devices have been the weapons of choice for terrorist entities as they are easy to acquire and use. They will probably remain the primary option for the immediate future. Chances are low but growing that weapons of mass destruction, including biological and chemical weapons, could be used by some groups as such agents are cheap to produce and easy to conceal as well as being relatively lethal.

Effects
Due to the variable nature of terrorist attacks, it is difficult to discuss all the possible effects. The effects of an attack at a dam and the resulting flooding would be drastically different from the effects of a bombing similar to that in Oklahoma City. Generally speaking, terrorist attacks can result in mass casualties as well as property damage to buildings or infrastructure.

Conclusions
All such terrorist potentialities remain difficult to predict and difficult to defend against. Cape May County uses an all hazards planning approach for emergency management. This type of planning provides one basic plan for all types of hazards. This is very helpful for disasters such as terrorist attacks which can potentially take many forms. It’s important to remember that the emergency management, fire, and medical services focus of terrorist acts is on consequence management. Law enforcement agencies, on the other hand, are responsible for prevention of terrorism and apprehending terrorists if an event occurs.